Haebie b



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. B. HART.

VELOGIP EDE. No. 363,518.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. B. HART.

VELOGI-PBDE.

P nted May 24. 1887.

N. PUERS, Pmwum pw, Wa'uhinglm D.C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRIE B. HART, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THEHART'OYOLE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

VELOCIPEDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,518, dated May 24.,1887,

Application filed June 1, 1886. Serial No. 203,801. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRIE B. HART, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVelocipedes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to providea light, durable, andinexpensive velocipede with its various parts readily adj ustable, so asto adapt the machine to the growth of children or to riders of differentsizes,while at the same time the parts are so disposed'as' to combineease and facility of manipulation with comfort to the rider; and tothese ends the invention consists in the novel construction andarrangement of the various features 'of the machine, as hereinafterfully set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of velocipedeembodying my invention.- Fig. 2 is a rear View of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4are respectively cross and vertical sections of the head of thevelocipede. Fig. 5 is an enlarged face view of the head and adj ustablehandle support or bracket. Fig. 6 is a side view of the head, showingamodified form of the securing-clamp for the handlesupport. Fig. 7 is aperspective view of one member of the securing-clamp for the saddle.Fig. 8 is a similar view looking in the opposite direc tion. Fig. 9 is aperspective view of part of the other member of saddle-clamp. Fig. 10 isa plan view of the pedal. section of one of the pedal-rods, and Fig. 12is a longitudinal section of the pedal-pin.

A designates the frame of the velocipede, and consists, generally, of afront fork, B, and a reach or backbone, G, pivotally joined togetherand-mounted either upon two or three wheels in the usual manner.

The backbone G is bifu rcated a short distance below the neck to formlegs a a, suitably spread I and connected at their lower extremities t0the rear axle, b. Secured to and supported between the legs, to braceand stiffen the latter against lateral thrusts,while also serving as asupport for the seat-post, is an approximately triangular-shaped frame,D, terminating at its upper end in a forwardly-projecting arm, (1,

and having an enlargement or hub, 0, provided Fig. 11 is a crossand atthe same time allow the forward end of the saddle to be raised andlowered to change the plane of its upper surface from the horizontal tosuch an inclination as may suit the rider, I mount the saddle upon ajointed seat post or standard, E, supported within the open ing in thehub c of the brace D, and secured therein at any height to which it maybe adjusted by a set-screw, w, or other convenient means. The seat postor standard E is composed of two members or bars, ff, the formerconstituting the standard proper and the latter the saddle-supportingarm, and these bars are pivotally secured together and each enlarged atone end to form a hub, 71, roughened or serrated on its inner face, sothat upon. clamping the two members together by a bolt, 1?, orotherwise, they will remain in any posi- 7 tion to which they may beset. By this means it will be seen that the members of the seat post orstandard may with great facility be adjusted with respect to each other,thereby changing the position of the saddle as may be desired.

' To add flexibility to the saddle and reduce the liability of itschafing the person of the rider, I mount the saddle F at its respectiveextremities upon independent springs G G, supported by the horizontalmember of the seat-post in such a manner that the springs may be easilyadj usted to and from each other to alter the tension of the seat.

The forward spring, G, is formed from a sin gle piece of metal, and iscomposed of two similarly-shaped members, k, joined andbent at theirupturned ends to constitute aloop, is, from which the adjacent end ofthe saddle is suspended. The rear spring, G, is likewise composed of twosimilar members, Z I; but in thisinstance each member is separate andprovided with a coil, l, as shown, to afford increased elasticity at therear of the seat. The upwardly-projecting portion of each member of thespring G may be extended laterally beyond the body thereof to afford aproper support forthe rear end of the saddle; but, as preferred andshown, the latter is stretched upon and connected to a cross-piece towhich the upper end of each member is secured.

To provide a rigid and durable connection between the saddle and itssupp0rting-standard, and one which will also permit of ready andindependent adjustment of the springs to regulate the tension of thesaddle, I employ a clamp of novel construction, consisting, principally,ofa body or plate, J, and an adjustable member or arm, J, adapted toslide upon the plate. This plate J may be cast or otherwisesuitably-made, and is formed on'its upper slde, at one end and at itsopposite edges, with bosses j, each provided with a central opening,j,extending from the outer end thereof to within a short distance of itsrear end. The plate J is grooved at 00 in rear of each boss and in linewith the opening therein,whileits reverse side is centrally grooved at yand pro vided with a hub, carrying a set-screw, j.

The adjustable arm J is provided with'a hub, m, carrying a set-screw, mand upturned and inwardly-projecting lugs m,which latter are adapted tofit over the edges of the plate J, and the under surface of each lug isgrooved at n as far as the lip n at the inner edge of the arm, thegrooves 12 corresponding with the grooves 41: in the adjacent face ofthe plate.

WVhen the clamp is in position, the arm f of the seat-standard restswithin the groove 3/ of the plate J ,while the end of the standardprojects through and is secured within the hub j by the set-screw, theends of the side members of the forward spring being inserted into theopenings in the bosses j. The ends of the rear springs are held withinthe grooves 00 of the plate J by the lugs m of the arm J, and areprevented from slipping forward on the plate by the lip 12, at thetermination of the grooves in the lugs of the arm,while the latter alsosecures the rear end of the plate to the supporting-standard.

It will be observed from the peculiar construction of the clamp that byloosening and adjusting the arm J upon its support the saddle-springsmay with great facility be brought together or spread apart to vary thetension of the saddle, and that by also releasing the screws j and m theentire saddle and its securing-clamp may be adjusted upon the standardto change'the relation of the saddle with respect to the head 'of themachine, after which the parts may again be permanently secured inplace.

In order to obtain a firm and extended vertical adjustment of thehandle-bar of the machine to easily adapt the latter .to thepeculiarities of the rider, I provide the forward face of the head Hpreferably with a dovetail groove, h, in which slides acorrespondinglyshaped support or bracket, 1, terminating at its upperend in a hub, '0, through which the handle-bar 19 projects. This grooveIt extends throughout the length of the head, thus affording increasedbearing-surface for the bracket I and greater adjustment of thehandle-bar above the machine, with additional security against breakageor liability of the parts becoming displaced.

The bracket I may be securedin its adjusted position by any propermeans, the device shown and preferred for this purpose consisting of ayoke, L, cast in one piece with the head and carrying a set-screw, q, bywhich the bracket is firmly clamped in place. By casting the yoke aspart of the head it will be seen that increased strength and rigidity isse cured, while at the same time the parts may be produced atcomparatively small cost and with great facility.

Instead of forming the yoke in one piece with the head, as described, itmay in some instances be detachable, as shown in Fig. 6, in which caseit fits over the bracket I and passes partly round the head, terminatingin lugs r, fitting over ears 1" on opposite sides of the head, while inother cases the yoke may be entirely dispensed with and a set-screwpassed directly through the bracket, securing it firmly in position.

In vclocipedes of the cheaper grades-such as those commonly used bychildren-the pedals have heretofore been constructed entirely of metal,or of wood and metal, because of the increased expense ofpedals withflexible bearingpieces for the feet. To obtain the advantages arisingfrom the use of rubber-covered pedals in machines of this class, and atthe same time furnish a pedal which maybe produced at a small cost, Icast the entire body portion of the pedal T, consisting of the usual endpieces, t, and hollow cross-pieces u, in one piece. The cross-piecesumay be variously shaped in crosssection, and are formed with recesses orgrooves on their opposite sides, into which rubber strips 0 are insertedand permanently ICO secured therein by cement or otherwise, while theend pieees,t,areeach cast with an enlargement, t,eonstituting thebearing for the pedal- It will be obvious that by casting the pedal asindicated it may be readily and cheaply produced, and requires verylittle cleaning off or polishing before being placed upon the machine.

To obtain a pedal pin or shaft with increased rigidity and lighter thanthe solid pin now commonly used, I construct said pin of a tube, 8, inthe ends of which are brazed plugs 10 w, the latter being formed with ashoulder, s, constituting one of the bearings for the pedal, whilebeyond said shoulder the plug is properly shaped to fit into the slot inthe crankarm of the machine, as usual, and then terminates in a threadedend for the reception of the securing-nut. The plug to is enlarged at sto correspond to the outer diameter of the served that upon unscrewingthejam-nut and.

bearing 8 the pedal may be easily removed from the pin.

Various modifications of the different features of my invention willreadily suggest themselves, and I therefore do not limit myself to theexact construction and arrangement shown.

I am aware that it is not new to construct saddle-clamps in sections soconnected as to permit the saddle to be set at different inclinations,and therefore make no claim to such devices.

I am also aware that it is not broadly new to provide a veloeipede witha vertically-adj nstalole bracket carrying the handle-bar, and thereforedo not claim such construction in itself; but in all such cases, so faras I am aware, the bracket supports the handle-bar below the top of thehead, and is capable only of a limited movement, not suited for thepresent purpose.

I claim- 1. The combination, in a velocipede provided with a tubularbackbone forked at or near its rear end, of a saddle and a braceinserted between and rigidly secured to the forks of said backboneandadapted to stifien said forks against lateral thrusts and adj ustablysupporting the saddle, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a velocipede provided with a forked backbone, ofa saddle carried by a standard and a brace inserted between the forks ofsaid backbone and having a hub and clamp at its upper extremity,substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a veloeipede having a. forked backbone, of asaddle carried by a standard, an approximately triangular-shaped bracerigidly seen red to the forks, as described, and provided with a hub andforwardly-projecting arm, and means for adj ustably securing saidstandard within the hub, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a velocipede, of a saddle, an approximatelyL-shaped standard therefor composed of two bars pivotally connected andadj ustably clamped together at the pivot-point, thedownwardly-extending bar being vertically adjustable within itssupporting-frame, all substantially as and for: the purpose described.

5. The combination, with a velocipede, of a vertically adjustablestandard, consisting of two bars pivotally connected and adj ustablyclamped together at the pivot-point, one bar being Vertically adjustablewithin its supporting-frame and the other adj ustably supporting thesaddle, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In a velocipede, the combination, with the grooved head, of anadjustable bracket fitting said groove and projecting normally above thehead, said bracket being provided at its upper end with a hub carryingthe handle-bar,and ayokefitting over said bracket and clamping thelatter in position after adjustment, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

7. In a velocipede, the combination, with a head having a dovetailedgroove, of an adj ustable bracket fitting said groove and projectingnormally above the head,and provided with a hub carrying the handle-bar,and a yoke formed as part of the head and carrying a set-screw,substantially as described.

8. The improved bieyclesaddle, consistlng of the flexible body portionand two independent double springs, shaped as described, the forwardspring being formed from a single piece of metal and the rear spring oftwo separate members, and the opposite ends of said body portion beingsuspended from the upturned portions of the springs,'substantially asdescribed.

9. The combination, in a saddle-retainlng clamp, of a plate adapted tobe secured to the seat-post, as described, provided with recessed lugs,and an arm adjustable on said plate and having upturnedends,substantially as described.

10. The combination, in a saddle-retaining clamp, of a plate grooved, asdescribed, and formed at one end and respectively on 0pposite sides witha boss carrying a set-screw on said plate and provided with upturnedgrooved ends and a set-screw, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination, with the saddle supported at opposite ends uponindependent springs, of a securing clamp consisting of a plate grooved,as described, and provided on its under side near one end with aretaining device and on its opposite side with lugs recessed to receivethe ends of the front spring, and an arm adjustable upon said plate andconstructed to secure the ends of the rear spring to the plate and theadjacent end of the latter to the seat-post,substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

12. The improved pedal consisting of the cast-metal frame composed ofend and cross pieces, as described, said crosspicees being formed 011opposite sides with channels, sub stantially as described.

13. The improved pedal consisting of the .cast-metal frame composed ofend and cross pieces, as described, the cross-pieces having channels 011opposite sides, and strips of rubber inserted and secured within saidchannels, substantially as described.

14. The improved pedal-pin consisting of a tubular body portion providedat its ends with plugs inserted and secured therein, as described, saidplugs carrying the pedal-bean ings and attaching means, substantially asset to this specification in the presence of two subforth. scribingwitnesses.

15. As an improved article of manufacture, a seat-post composed of astandard and a sad- HARRIE HART 5 die-supporting arm jointed thereto,snbstan- \Vitnesses:

tiall y as and for the purpose set forth. WVM. A. BEDDING,

In testimony whereofI have signed my name JAMES S. PHILLIPS.

